cautionary
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of cautionary
Explanation
When something is cautionary, it’s meant to be a warning to you. Your parents might be fond of telling cautionary tales, like the one about the girl who got electrocuted sticking a knife into the toaster. While driving, look for cautionary signs warning you of potential danger: falling rocks, kids crossing, hidden driveway. You might use cautionary words: “Watch your step! There’s glass all over the floor!” Don’t confuse cautionary with cautious, which means trying to avoid danger. Tell a cautionary tale about someone drowning because he swam too far out into the ocean and an overly cautious kid might decide never to swim again.
Vocabulary lists containing cautionary
ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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Tone and Point of View, List 3
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World Without Fish
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's a cautionary tale about how stellar activity can mimic planet signals using the radial velocity."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
She serves merely as a cautionary tale, when it’s already too late for our protagonists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
According to its official website, external, it is "also a cautionary reminder of the abysses of the inhumane Nazi dictatorship".
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
The mismatch in priorities isn’t new, and the last attempt at hashing out differences over AI is a cautionary tale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
One of the reasons the Burr-Hamilton duel became legendary as the most famous duel in American history is its cautionary role as the most memorable example of how not to do it.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
